With everybody digesting the yesterday’s budget, it was likely to be a day of round condemnation, punctuated by fulsome backbench praise. With all of the leaders and the finance minister in the House, it had the potential to be a good day. Thomas Mulcair led off by asking if it was true that the finance minister no longer believed in the promise of income splitting. Harper responded that they brought it in for seniors, whereas the NDP wanted to raise taxes. Mulcair wondered why the Conservatives had fired 300 food inspectors only to re-hire them in the budget, to which Harper insisted that they had increased the number of inspectors, before reading a list of groups who liked the budget. Mulcair moved to the Elections Act, and wondered why the Elections Commissioner would be reporting to the justice minister. Harper said the Commissioner would be independent, and by the way, in the NDP leadership race, they didn’t count fundraising expenses either. Mulcair wondered why they wanted investigation suspects warned but not the general public when it comes to voter fraud, but Harper responded with accusations of the NDP using union funds. For his final question, Mulcair asked about using the EI fund to balance the budget, but Harper insisted there would be a long-term balance in the fund. Justin Trudeau was up for the Liberals and wondered why the minister didn’t ask for more funds for veterans, but Harper hit back with a comment that Trudeau made about budgets balancing themselves. Trudeau wondered about a plan for economic growth, to which Harper assured him that the record of Economic Action Plans™ spoke for themselves.

Mulcair was back up in round two, and returned to the issue of the Elections Commissioner (Harper: He’ll be given all the tools he needs to combat fraud), the supposed muzzling of the Chief Electoral Officer (Harper: you didn’t read the bill), the exempt fundraising expenses for telemarketing for past donors (Harper: This is a small portion of the electorate and you didn’t have to claim fundraising expenses in your leadership), what about Irving Gerstein (Speaker: That sounds like party business), Peggy Nash demanded a “real” job creation strategy (Harper: You would shut down trade and our resource sector), Guy Caron asked about the Canada Job Grant (Harper: Our emphasis is on job creation), and Élaine Michaud and Jack Harris asked which procurements were delayed in the budget (Harper: There are no cuts, this is at the request of DND so they’ll have funds when they need it). Chrystia Freeland asked about stagnant growth predictions (Harper: We’ve had a strong record of growth), Scott Brison asked about asset sales creating a fiscally unsustainable surplus (Harper: Your leader said the budget will balance magically), and the use of the EI funds to balance the budget (Harper: You would have to hike EI rates to implement your 40-day work year). Jinny Sims and Sadia Groguhé asked about provincial job training programmes (Kenney: We want people with jobs not résumé factories), and Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet and Mike Sullivan asked about affordable housing (Bergen: We continue to work with stakeholders).

Round three saw questions on violations by MMA prior to Lac Mégantic, the choice of veterans programmes funded in the budget, a particular soldier’s case, the provinces keeping their Labour Market Agreement funds, transfer payment protection for Ontario, the lack of funds for Northern Ontario’s resources and First Nations, the finance minister’s position on income splitting (Flaherty: The budget isn’t balanced yet and we remain committed to tax relief for families), an agreement on protecting artefacts, First Nations housing, and corporations sitting on “dead money.”

Overall, it was virtually Prime Minister’s Questions, where Harper stood up to answer every question until the end of the second round, which was an impressive record, and the most we’ve heard from him in a single stretch. Not to mention, he was feeling pretty punchy, and it made for some decent exchanges. Flaherty was strangely silent until mid-round three, where there was much applause and mirth in his reply.

Sartorially speaking, snaps go out to Michelle Rempel for a fitted pearl dress with a black zigzag pattern, and to Justin Trudeau for a tailored medium grey suit with a white shirt and a brilliant red tie. Style citations go out to François Choquette for a black suit with a fluorescent blue shirt and a black and blue striped tie, and to Linda Duncan for a shapeless black dress with a grey circle pattern. Dishonourable mention goes out to Rathika Sitsabaiesan for a mustard jacket with black trousers and a maroon animal print top.